


Worried Mistake

by desert_neon (sproutgirl)



Series: The ICC Application Series [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Declarations Of Love, M/M, Not Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Compliant, Pre-Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., argument
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-19
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-09-25 12:22:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9820370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sproutgirl/pseuds/desert_neon
Summary: Clint pissed Phil off, but he's justscared.A ficlet of 600 words.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written as an application piece for the newly minted [Imagine ClintCoulson](https://imagineclintcoulson.tumblr.com/) on tumblr.
> 
> The prompt was:  
> Imagine Person A and Person B having an argument.

“Phil, come on,” Clint said, trailing Phil into his office. “I’m sorry!”

Phil whirled around, his mouth set in an unhappy line and his shoulders stiff beneath his suit. “You think you can fix this with a simple apology?”

Clint grimaced as it became abundantly clear that this was a bigger deal than Clint had ever thought it would be. “No?” he ventured, still not entirely clear why Phil was so very beyond pissed. “But tell me how I _can_ fix it, and I will! I swear I will.”

Phil dropped his head at that, and when he lifted it again, his expression had morphed into one of extreme sadness. “I’m not sure you can.”

Clint’s whole body chilled, and his heart folded in on itself in his chest. “I don’t get it. All I did was ask May to let me know if you get hurt. What… What’s so wrong about that?”

“Nothing. There’s nothing wrong with asking May to keep you in the loop. But you didn’t just ask May; you asked FitzSimmons and Ward too. And now Skye! These are my people, Clint. This is my new team, and you just took my knees out from under me with all of them! We haven’t even been working together a week, and you’ve got them thinking maybe I’m not fit for active duty!”

“But what if you’re not?” As soon as the words left his mouth, Clint knew it was the wrong thing to say.

Phil went stiff and all the anger and sadness disappeared off his face. He went into bland Agent Coulson mode, retreating into a façade Clint hadn’t seen directed at him in years. “I am an active agent, Barton. I have been cleared for full duty and given a team of my own. I am exactly one clearance level above you and have been your superior for ten years. None of that changes just because I died and came back, or because you got scared and finally decided to sleep with me.”

“That’s not— Phil!”

“What, Clint? What can you possibly say to make this better?”

“I didn’t decide to sleep with you,” Clint muttered, hugging his arms across his chest and looking at the floor.

“No, I suppose you didn’t,” Phil said, and he sounded so _sad_. “You’ve always been one to leap first and regret the impulse later.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Clint argued, raising his head to glare at Phil. “You weren’t an impulse and I don’t regret it. What I _meant_ was…” Clint dropped his arms and took a deep breath. “I didn’t decide, oh, hey, sex with Phil, yay! I just… I missed you. You were dead, and I’d never said, never told you I loved you. And I’d _decided_ I wasn’t going to let that get by me again.”

Phil looked absolutely dumbfounded.

“So, yeah,” Clint continued. “I love you, and I’m sorry, and I shouldn’t have done what I did, but I’m scared, okay? You’re running off without me and last time I wasn’t around, you _died_ , so maybe cut me a break? Please?”

“Clint,” Phil said, sounding wrecked. He took a step forward and put his hands on Clint’s arms. “Did you think they _weren’t_ going to call you? Honey, you’ve been my emergency contact for years.”

Now it was Clint’s turn to be poleaxed. “What?”

“I’ve loved you a long time, Clint Barton, and I’m not about to run off and die now that I know the feeling is mutual.”

Clint let himself tilt forward, pressing his brow to Phil’s. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

 

 

—the end—


End file.
